"...Knight Loretta was lured away by Seluvis's scheme, and the assassin proceeded to carry out a massacre within the bunker. There are traces of Destined Death; we cannot rule out the remnants of the Gloam-Eyed Queen's Godskin Apostles, though the Golden Order itself is more suspect...
"The sequence of events was primarily reconstructed through Miss Sellen's testimony and an investigation of the site. We discovered the body of Lecturer Ronald; he had been turned into a puppet several days ago, confirming Seluvis's hand in this."
A knight knelt on one knee, reporting to the Full Moon Queen. "As for the other party involved, Knight Loretta... her current state is such that she is temporarily unable to undergo interrogation. We escorted her from the scene to the Academy Gaol. She offered no resistance."
Rennala said nothing. she simply stepped into the bunker.
"Please, Your Majesty, stay strong in your grief," the knight said behind her.
The other bodies in the bunker had already been removed, and the bloodstains cleared. Only a few perfumers remained at work.
"Your Majesty, we are currently performing the preservation and embalming of the Prince's remains. You should not come inside just yet—" a masked perfumer began.
"No. I can."
"But—"
"Leave. All of you, out."
The perfumers silently picked up their glintstone lamps, bowed to Rennala, and departed quietly.
She sat down beside Raven, drawing that pale, frail body into her arms. She pressed her forehead against his, finding it tragically cold.
The bunker was plunged into darkness. Her light was gone.
Loretta curled into a corner of her prison cell. Only a single beam of light filtered through the narrow window.
She hadn't tried to track how much time had passed—it could have been a day, a month, or a year. In the beginning, people had come to ask her questions, but she couldn't remember what she had said, or if she had answered at all. Afterward, no one came except for the servants who brought her scheduled meals.
Perhaps not much time had passed after all, for she had not yet starved to death.
"I won't let you disappear."
"Come, a high-five to seal the vow."
"Are you willing to accompany me on a journey to witness the beauty of the Eternal City?"
Every word Raven had ever spoken surfaced in her mind. They all seemed to appear at once, overlapping, until she could no longer tell which came first or last.
Because of her stupidity, she had not been by his side at the moment the Prince needed her most. She had failed everyone's trust. Such a fatal dereliction of duty could only be answered by death; she deserved no forgiveness. However, since the future had already vanished into thin air, it seemed like a mercy if time would simply stop here.
Clang.
The cell door opened.
"Lift your head."
"Your Majesty," Loretta whispered. "Have you come to execute me personally?"
The cold steel of a Carian Regal Scepter—or perhaps a ceremonial sword—touched the side of her neck. Loretta closed her eyes and bowed her head. A single tear traced a path down her cheek and dripped onto her chest.
"Lift your head."
"...Your Majesty?"
"In the name of Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, Head of Raya Lucaria, Ruler of Liurnia and Protector of the Realm, I hereby strip Royal Knight Loretta of her title and rank." Rennala lowered her blade. "You are no longer a knight. Therefore, the crime of a knight failing to protect her lord no longer exists."
Rennala walked out of the cell, the heavy door creaking on its hinges. "Go. I do not wish to see you again."
Clutching her numb knees, Loretta buried her face in her arms. Her shoulders began to tremble.
It started as a quiet sob, until the tears became uncontrollable, and she broke into a ragged, heart-wrenching wail.
See her, see her not... see her, see her not...
Beside the Carian Study Hall, a red-haired girl sat atop the skull of a dead Fallingstar Beast, watching the sunset dip behind the mountains. Adula, the Glintstone Dragon, lay quietly nearby, licking her wounds.
The girl held a rose of frost conjured from magic. She plucked the icy petals one by one, her snow-white bare feet swinging back and forth over the beast's jaw.
See her not.
As the last petal fell, she let out a breath, thought for a moment, and conjured a brand-new rose.
"Let's try one more time."
This divination would never yield a different result, for every frost rose she created always had an even number of petals.
"Princess Ranni, where shall we head next?" A half-wolf warrior carrying a colossal sword walked up behind her. The blade of his Greatsword was still stained with the purple ichor of the Fallingstar Beast.
The hem of her Snow Witch robes fluttered in the mountain breeze. Ranni gazed toward the western horizon. "North. Iji says he discovered an entrance well leading underground in the Altus Plateau. We shall descend from there. Perhaps this time, we will find the path to the Eternal City."
"And if we don't find it this time?"
"Then we find the next well." The girl set down the frost rose. "We will keep searching. Eventually, we will find our way into the Eternal City."
"Does the Princess not wish to see her mother? Raya Lucaria is just to the west..."
Ranni shook her head. "I have chosen the path of the Dark Moon; I no longer seek the Full Moon. Thus, there is no need for us to meet."
"Caria has never forbidden the faith of the Dark Moon. If you were willing to visit Her Majesty the Queen, she certainly wouldn't mind such things."
"I have said it before: one day, I shall betray all and cast all away. What meaning is there in seeing my mother now?"
Hearing this, the half-wolf warrior paused for a moment before speaking hesitantly. "I heard that three years ago, the Full Moon Queen gave birth to a new child. Life truly sprouted from that Amber Egg."
"Yes, I heard of it long ago."
"Rumors say that child is the heir to the Carian Kingdom, the successor to the Full Moon Queen's throne."
"Mhm."
"You are older and far more powerful, Princess. It is you who should rightfully inherit the throne. That child's Great Rune belongs to you; he has no right to the succession. Furthermore, who knows what meddling Radagon did within that Amber Egg..."
Ranni smiled.
"Blaidd, Iji taught you to say that, didn't he?"
"Er... yes." Blaidd looked a bit sheepish, his claws scratching at his furry cheek. "Iji believes that even if you have no heart for power, being able to mobilize the strength of the Carian Kingdom would be a great help in your search for the Eternal City. Please do not blame us for overstepping."
"You are looking out for me; how could I blame you? I placed my Great Rune within the Amber Egg to prevent petty thieves from disturbing Mother's slumber. But since life truly was born from that egg, then that Great Rune belongs to him. I have no intention of taking it back.
"As for tying the Carian Kingdom to my war chariot—if I succeed, I have nothing with which to repay the kingdom. If I fail, the entire realm will collapse under the fury of the Greater Will. This is my war alone, Blaidd. The fact that you are willing to be my companions is already more than I can ever repay."
"Princess, I am your step-brother and childhood friend. Counselor Iji is an old retainer who has cared for you since you were small. Wherever you choose to go, we follow of our own will. We seek no reward."
"You two... that is exactly what troubles me." Ranni stood up, stretching toward the setting sun before donning her wide witch's hat. "Adula, are you well-rested?"
Adula the Glintstone Dragon had been dozing off, but she lifted her head at the call. She let out a sharp roar and spread her wings, demonstrating that she was fully recovered.
"Then, let us depart!" Ranni reached out toward the sunset, as if trying to grasp it in her palm. "Due north."
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Elden Ring: The Unborn One's Journey Through Elden Ring(34 Chapter - Ongoing)
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